[Overview]
<p>Magmortar has long been considered slightly underwhelming; in fact, it was left floundering in NU for the entirety of DPP and the majority of BW. However, Magmortar has found its time to shine in RU. Its excellent base 125 Special Attack and expansive movepool, including Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, and a variety of Hidden Powers, are but a few of the primary reasons for its rise to stardom. Magmortar also boasts a solid base 95 Attack stat that, in conjunction with access to Cross Chop and Earthquake, enables it to blow straight past special walls, such as Clefable and Lanturn. Although Magmortar might not be particularly fast, that odd base 83 Speed grants it the opportunity to outspeed the myriad of Pokemon sitting at and around base 80 Speed, such as Medicham, Gallade, and Hitmonchan. On top of this, Magmortar appears to be perfectly suited to the RU metagame. The tier's premier special wall, Slowking, would usually be a full stop to any special attacking Fire-type, but Magmortar has no problem disposing of it with repeated Thunderbolt and entry hazard damage. The icing on the cake is that Magmortar can bypass one of the most common status conditions to be inflicted in RU: sleep. Tangrowth and Lilligant are extremely popular Pokemon that Magmortar can switch into and eliminate with impunity thanks to Vital Spirit; Magmortar can also deal with the odd Smeargle lead by absorbing Spore and limiting the number of layers it gets up to a maximum of two.</p>
<p>By now you're probably wondering why on Earth Magmortar isn't used on every single RU team. Well, unfortunately for our fiery friend there are a couple of things halting its climb to number 1 on the usage ladder. A couple of sharp, pointy things. Yes, Magmortar despises entry hazards as it is susceptible to all three. To compound this weakness, due to its decidedly average defenses, Magmortar has trouble finding good opportunities where it can switch in. The metaphorical nail in the coffin comes from Magmortar's mediocre defensive typing, which leaves it with weaknesses to Ground-, Rock-, and Water-type attacks, as well as its below average Speed. However, don't let these downsides put you off. Magmortar's merits far outweigh its flaws and it is one of RU's premier Fire-types.</p>
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Substitute
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Equipped with its excellent coverage and high powered moves, Magmortar has no trouble blasting past RU's most common walls; Steelix, Tangrowth, Sandslash, Roselia, Rhydon, and Qwilfish are all OHKOed after Stealth Rock. Even RU's premier special walls, Slowking and Clefable, are 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage. Although Magmortar's average Speed stops it from pulling off a sweep alone, its great offensive presence and movepool ensure that RU's walls will never be safe with Magmortar waiting in the wings. Fire Blast provides Magmortar with an immensely powerful STAB attack and inflicts huge amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. It is Magmortar's most spammable attack, and is what you should be using early-game when scouting the opponent's team. Not only does Thunderbolt give Magmortar coverage against Water- and Flying-types, but it also enables it to get past Slowking, a Pokemon capable of walling most special attackers (especially Fire-types). Having Focus Blast ensures that two of RU's sturdiest special walls, Clefable and Munchlax, don't stop Magmortar's rampage in its tracks, although its accuracy can sometimes be a let down. Hidden Power Grass rounds out the set's coverage by getting OHKOs against Rhydon and Quagsire, as well as a 2HKO against Lanturn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs ensure that Magmortar outspeeds all neutral-natured Pokemon with base 80 Speed, as well as maximizing its damage output. A super effective attack coming from a Modest nature and an Expert Belt hits harder than the equivalent of a Timid nature and a Life Orb, and is therefore the first choice for both item and nature. On top of this, Magmortar will often be hitting the enemy super effectively thanks to its great coverage, and therefore it doesn't really miss the Life Orb boost. Finally, and most importantly, using an Expert Belt stops Magmortar from being worn down so easily by stall teams that attempt to stall it out with Life Orb recoil. Entry hazards, status, and recoil all take a serious toll on Magmortar's health, so by limiting one of those, Magmortar will be able to stay alive and wreak havoc for a longer period of time.</p>
<p>By running a spread of 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe along with a positive Speed nature, Magmortar ensures that it can outspeed every Pokemon hovering around the 80 Speed mark. A Life Orb gives a strong boost to Magmortar's attacks and is especially useful when you need to hit certain Pokemon, such as Aggron, Druddigon, and Altaria, for as much damage as possible with neutral attacks. Vital Spirit is key to Magmortar's success. It gives Magmortar the switch-in opportunities it needs to do damage; Smeargle, Tangrowth, and Lilligant are all easy Pokemon for Magmortar to take advantage of. Hidden Power Ice hurts Altaria and Druddigon, two of Magmortar's best counters, more than any other of its attacks. Hidden Power Ice also stops Magmortar from having to rely on Focus Blast's shaky inaccuracy to harm Druddigon. Earthquake hits other Fire-types, such as Entei, Typhlosion, Flareon, and Camerupt, harder than any other attack, and will OHKO the less defensive of those Pokemon. Flamethrower can be used as a more reliable alternative to Fire Blast, although the loss in power is very noticeable.</p>
<p>Magmortar absolutely despises entry hazards, so packing a spinner is almost a necessity. Sandslash makes for a great teammate as it resists Rock-type moves and can set up Stealth Rock to wear down Magmortar's counters. Cryogonal, on the other hand, is immune to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, and takes little from most Water attacks thanks to its excellent base 135 Special Defense. Roselia and Ferroseed both share good defensive synergy with Magmortar and can set up the hazards that are essential in helping Magmortar achieve those KOs. Ferroseed can also spread paralysis with Thunder Wave in order to bypass Magmortar's average Speed. Feraligatr partners well with Magmortar as it can set up on and take out the Fire-types that give Magmortar trouble. In return, Magmortar easily dispatches the Grass-types that try to put a stop to Feraligatr's sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thanks to its expansive movepool and good attacking stats, Magmortar can run a wide variety of sets (with varying degrees of success). With Choice Specs equipped, Magmortar's attacks become incredibly powerful, and Magmortar is now able to 2HKO Slowking 100% of the time with Thunderbolt. On the other hand, a Choice Scarf gives Magmortar enough Speed to outrun the entire unboosted tier, as well as land surprise KOs on opponents expecting a more conventional Expert Belt set. However, both of these sets are held back due to Magmortar's inability to switch moves, its low defenses, and its weakness to entry hazards. Magmortar also has a large, though oft-neglected, physical movepool. With Flare Blitz for STAB, along with Earthquake, Cross Chop, Mach Punch, and ThunderPunch for coverage, Magmortar can surprise a lot of its usual counters, as well as handily deal with Fire-types. Magmortar also has Belly Drum to boost its Attack to astronomical levels. As cool as physical Magmortar sounds, its only average Attack and low Speed hold it back. Magmortar has an ample selection of alternative STAB moves to choose from. Overheat has incredible power and is more accurate than Fire Blast, Lava Plume can spread burns to make up for Magmortar's low Defense, and Flamethrower is slightly less powerful than Fire Blast, but it is much more reliable. Taunt enables Magmortar to easily take out defensive Grass-types, such as Roselia and Tangrowth, whereas Will-O-Wisp can spread status. Substitute can be used to ease prediction, although the loss in coverage is quite severe and the loss of health can severely reduce Magmortar's lifespan. Finally, Magmortar can use Cross Chop to hit special walls hard, although most are hit hard enough by Magmortar's standard moves.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to its great power and coverage, Magmortar doesn't have many counters in the strictest sense of the word; few walls can afford to take two hits (one on the switch in, another as they move second) from the most effective move. Slowking is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt after Stealth Rock, Munchlax can't do anything to Magmortar but Whirlwind it away, and Lanturn is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Grass. On top of this, there aren't many Pokemon faster than Magmortar that can take a super effective attack or a neutral Fire Blast. The best way to stop Magmortar cold, however, is to go by that old saying: "fight fire with fire". Not only does Flareon boast good special bulk, it also lacks a weakness to any of Magmortar's common attacks, while resisting two of them. Furthermore, Flareon can recover and support the team with Wish and Protect, as well as Toxic stall Magmortar. Flareon can also choose to phaze Magmortar out with Roar, which is especially potent when paired with entry hazards. Camerupt is also an excellent counter to Magmortar as it resists Fire Blast, is immune to Thunderbolt, and takes little from a neutral Hidden Power Grass. However, due to its relatively low defenses, Camerupt doesn't enjoy taking too many Focus Blasts. RU's resident Dragon-types, Druddigon and Altaria, stick out as two of Magmortar's most solid counters. Druddigon resists all of Magmortar's moves bar Cross Chop and can OHKO it with Outrage, whereas Altaria is much more defensive and can set up on Magmortar thanks to its good bulk. However, both of the aforementioned Dragons are easily taken care of by Hidden Power Ice. As long as Lanturn doesn't switch into it, Lanturn can take at least one hit from Hidden Power Grass and hit back with a STAB Scald or Surf. When it comes to revenge killing Magmortar, any faster Pokemon that carries a super effective move, such as Archeops, Aerodactyl, or Sceptile, will get the job done easily. One of the easiest ways of limiting Magmortar's effectiveness isn't by carrying a dedicated counter, but by ensuring that you get as many hazards up as soon as possible. Magmortar can lose over half its health just by switching in should it have the misfortune of landing on a complete set of entry hazards. On top of this, Life Orb Magmortar has to deal with recoil wearing it down each time it attacks. As long as you use clever switching and constantly force Magmortar out, it shouldn't be able to harm your team a great deal.</p>
<p>Magmortar has long been considered slightly underwhelming; in fact, it was left floundering in NU for the entirety of DPP and the majority of BW. However, Magmortar has found its time to shine in RU. Its excellent base 125 Special Attack and expansive movepool, including Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, and a variety of Hidden Powers, are but a few of the primary reasons for its rise to stardom. Magmortar also boasts a solid base 95 Attack stat that, in conjunction with access to Cross Chop and Earthquake, enables it to blow straight past special walls, such as Clefable and Lanturn. Although Magmortar might not be particularly fast, that odd base 83 Speed grants it the opportunity to outspeed the myriad of Pokemon sitting at and around base 80 Speed, such as Medicham, Gallade, and Hitmonchan. On top of this, Magmortar appears to be perfectly suited to the RU metagame. The tier's premier special wall, Slowking, would usually be a full stop to any special attacking Fire-type, but Magmortar has no problem disposing of it with repeated Thunderbolt and entry hazard damage. The icing on the cake is that Magmortar can bypass one of the most common status conditions to be inflicted in RU: sleep. Tangrowth and Lilligant are extremely popular Pokemon that Magmortar can switch into and eliminate with impunity thanks to Vital Spirit; Magmortar can also deal with the odd Smeargle lead by absorbing Spore and limiting the number of layers it gets up to a maximum of two.</p>
<p>By now you're probably wondering why on Earth Magmortar isn't used on every single RU team. Well, unfortunately for our fiery friend there are a couple of things halting its climb to number 1 on the usage ladder. A couple of sharp, pointy things. Yes, Magmortar despises entry hazards as it is susceptible to all three. To compound this weakness, due to its decidedly average defenses, Magmortar has trouble finding good opportunities where it can switch in. The metaphorical nail in the coffin comes from Magmortar's mediocre defensive typing, which leaves it with weaknesses to Ground-, Rock-, and Water-type attacks, as well as its below average Speed. However, don't let these downsides put you off. Magmortar's merits far outweigh its flaws and it is one of RU's premier Fire-types.</p>
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Substitute
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Equipped with its excellent coverage and high powered moves, Magmortar has no trouble blasting past RU's most common walls; Steelix, Tangrowth, Sandslash, Roselia, Rhydon, and Qwilfish are all OHKOed after Stealth Rock. Even RU's premier special walls, Slowking and Clefable, are 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage. Although Magmortar's average Speed stops it from pulling off a sweep alone, its great offensive presence and movepool ensure that RU's walls will never be safe with Magmortar waiting in the wings. Fire Blast provides Magmortar with an immensely powerful STAB attack and inflicts huge amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. It is Magmortar's most spammable attack, and is what you should be using early-game when scouting the opponent's team. Not only does Thunderbolt give Magmortar coverage against Water- and Flying-types, but it also enables it to get past Slowking, a Pokemon capable of walling most special attackers (especially Fire-types). Having Focus Blast ensures that two of RU's sturdiest special walls, Clefable and Munchlax, don't stop Magmortar's rampage in its tracks, although its accuracy can sometimes be a let down. Hidden Power Grass rounds out the set's coverage by getting OHKOs against Rhydon and Quagsire, as well as a 2HKO against Lanturn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs ensure that Magmortar outspeeds all neutral-natured Pokemon with base 80 Speed, as well as maximizing its damage output. A super effective attack coming from a Modest nature and an Expert Belt hits harder than the equivalent of a Timid nature and a Life Orb, and is therefore the first choice for both item and nature. On top of this, Magmortar will often be hitting the enemy super effectively thanks to its great coverage, and therefore it doesn't really miss the Life Orb boost. Finally, and most importantly, using an Expert Belt stops Magmortar from being worn down so easily by stall teams that attempt to stall it out with Life Orb recoil. Entry hazards, status, and recoil all take a serious toll on Magmortar's health, so by limiting one of those, Magmortar will be able to stay alive and wreak havoc for a longer period of time.</p>
<p>By running a spread of 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe along with a positive Speed nature, Magmortar ensures that it can outspeed every Pokemon hovering around the 80 Speed mark. A Life Orb gives a strong boost to Magmortar's attacks and is especially useful when you need to hit certain Pokemon, such as Aggron, Druddigon, and Altaria, for as much damage as possible with neutral attacks. Vital Spirit is key to Magmortar's success. It gives Magmortar the switch-in opportunities it needs to do damage; Smeargle, Tangrowth, and Lilligant are all easy Pokemon for Magmortar to take advantage of. Hidden Power Ice hurts Altaria and Druddigon, two of Magmortar's best counters, more than any other of its attacks. Hidden Power Ice also stops Magmortar from having to rely on Focus Blast's shaky inaccuracy to harm Druddigon. Earthquake hits other Fire-types, such as Entei, Typhlosion, Flareon, and Camerupt, harder than any other attack, and will OHKO the less defensive of those Pokemon. Flamethrower can be used as a more reliable alternative to Fire Blast, although the loss in power is very noticeable.</p>
<p>Magmortar absolutely despises entry hazards, so packing a spinner is almost a necessity. Sandslash makes for a great teammate as it resists Rock-type moves and can set up Stealth Rock to wear down Magmortar's counters. Cryogonal, on the other hand, is immune to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, and takes little from most Water attacks thanks to its excellent base 135 Special Defense. Roselia and Ferroseed both share good defensive synergy with Magmortar and can set up the hazards that are essential in helping Magmortar achieve those KOs. Ferroseed can also spread paralysis with Thunder Wave in order to bypass Magmortar's average Speed. Feraligatr partners well with Magmortar as it can set up on and take out the Fire-types that give Magmortar trouble. In return, Magmortar easily dispatches the Grass-types that try to put a stop to Feraligatr's sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thanks to its expansive movepool and good attacking stats, Magmortar can run a wide variety of sets (with varying degrees of success). With Choice Specs equipped, Magmortar's attacks become incredibly powerful, and Magmortar is now able to 2HKO Slowking 100% of the time with Thunderbolt. On the other hand, a Choice Scarf gives Magmortar enough Speed to outrun the entire unboosted tier, as well as land surprise KOs on opponents expecting a more conventional Expert Belt set. However, both of these sets are held back due to Magmortar's inability to switch moves, its low defenses, and its weakness to entry hazards. Magmortar also has a large, though oft-neglected, physical movepool. With Flare Blitz for STAB, along with Earthquake, Cross Chop, Mach Punch, and ThunderPunch for coverage, Magmortar can surprise a lot of its usual counters, as well as handily deal with Fire-types. Magmortar also has Belly Drum to boost its Attack to astronomical levels. As cool as physical Magmortar sounds, its only average Attack and low Speed hold it back. Magmortar has an ample selection of alternative STAB moves to choose from. Overheat has incredible power and is more accurate than Fire Blast, Lava Plume can spread burns to make up for Magmortar's low Defense, and Flamethrower is slightly less powerful than Fire Blast, but it is much more reliable. Taunt enables Magmortar to easily take out defensive Grass-types, such as Roselia and Tangrowth, whereas Will-O-Wisp can spread status. Substitute can be used to ease prediction, although the loss in coverage is quite severe and the loss of health can severely reduce Magmortar's lifespan. Finally, Magmortar can use Cross Chop to hit special walls hard, although most are hit hard enough by Magmortar's standard moves.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to its great power and coverage, Magmortar doesn't have many counters in the strictest sense of the word; few walls can afford to take two hits (one on the switch in, another as they move second) from the most effective move. Slowking is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt after Stealth Rock, Munchlax can't do anything to Magmortar but Whirlwind it away, and Lanturn is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Grass. On top of this, there aren't many Pokemon faster than Magmortar that can take a super effective attack or a neutral Fire Blast. The best way to stop Magmortar cold, however, is to go by that old saying: "fight fire with fire". Not only does Flareon boast good special bulk, it also lacks a weakness to any of Magmortar's common attacks, while resisting two of them. Furthermore, Flareon can recover and support the team with Wish and Protect, as well as Toxic stall Magmortar. Flareon can also choose to phaze Magmortar out with Roar, which is especially potent when paired with entry hazards. Camerupt is also an excellent counter to Magmortar as it resists Fire Blast, is immune to Thunderbolt, and takes little from a neutral Hidden Power Grass. However, due to its relatively low defenses, Camerupt doesn't enjoy taking too many Focus Blasts. RU's resident Dragon-types, Druddigon and Altaria, stick out as two of Magmortar's most solid counters. Druddigon resists all of Magmortar's moves bar Cross Chop and can OHKO it with Outrage, whereas Altaria is much more defensive and can set up on Magmortar thanks to its good bulk. However, both of the aforementioned Dragons are easily taken care of by Hidden Power Ice. As long as Lanturn doesn't switch into it, Lanturn can take at least one hit from Hidden Power Grass and hit back with a STAB Scald or Surf. When it comes to revenge killing Magmortar, any faster Pokemon that carries a super effective move, such as Archeops, Aerodactyl, or Sceptile, will get the job done easily. One of the easiest ways of limiting Magmortar's effectiveness isn't by carrying a dedicated counter, but by ensuring that you get as many hazards up as soon as possible. Magmortar can lose over half its health just by switching in should it have the misfortune of landing on a complete set of entry hazards. On top of this, Life Orb Magmortar has to deal with recoil wearing it down each time it attacks. As long as you use clever switching and constantly force Magmortar out, it shouldn't be able to harm your team a great deal.</p>
